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ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of help-seeking by South African women following sexual assault. Hermeneutic phenomenology guided the study. Interviews were conducted with six women who had experienced sexual assault at some point in their lives. Three venues were most significant to women's help-seeking experiences: the criminal justice system, health care facilities, and/or social service agencies. Essentially, the women's help-seeking experiences in these three venues are best described as fraught justice-seeking, pragmatic help-seeking, and desperate help-seeking. The study findings have implications for the provision of services for women who experience sexual assault in South Africa.
Funding
This publication was made possible by grant number 2T32 NR007066 from the National Institute of Nursing Research.